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Running head: NATIVE AMERICAN ANCESTRY IN CHILE 0

Native American Ancestry in Chile

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Native American Ancestry in Chile

Background/Hypothesis

Native Americans have found their way in many different regions of the world including Chile which is a South American Country bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Mapuche and Aymara people are the two major groups if indigenous people in Chile of Native American ancestry. Over the past years, statistics indicate that there has been a high mortality rate of people from the two main types of Native Americans in Chile. With the adaptations and migration patterns of the people, scientist developed the urge to understand the cause of these deaths and how they could be linked to the genetic structure of the people. This proposed research is aimed at reconstructing the gene origin of the natives in Chile and the causes of variations. Hypothesis for the research is derived from an article on subtypes of Native American Ancestry and leading causes of death with an aim of understanding the cause of deaths in the Mapuche and Aymara people in Chile and finding a personalized healthcare for them.

Genetic History/Pattern

The genetic and population pattern of Native American in Chile show a trend of variations between the Europeans and the Native-Americans. The spatial analysis method shows that the pattern of Native Americans in Chile is not consistent as that of European and African origin. The population pattern is scattered. Aggregate data of the study based on genome-wide genotype shows that the Native Americans in Chile have a pattern that is associated with gallbladder cancer. A high percentage of mortality case in the region also indicated an increase pattern in the growth of other diseases like asthma in the mapuche indigenous people. In the Ayamara indigenous people, a high mortality was seen to be caused by skin, bladder, and lung cancers. Findings from the research indicated a genetic variability of about 3% that distinguished Africans and non-Africans. The second variability distinguished Native Americans and Europeans with about 1.5% differences. The Mapuche and Aymara people contained different genes which were vulnerable to diseases like gall bladder cancer compared to those of African and European origin. The figure above is a map of Chile showing the composition of Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans present in different areas. From N, CI, C2, SI, and S2 regions marked, it is clear that Native Americans is the second widely spread group of people which contains the Mapuche and Aymara people. The number of deaths in these regions however is alarming compared to those of the European origin.

Cultural History

The figure above shows the ancestry properties and differences of the Mapuche and Aymara Native Americans. Mapuche and Aymara are the two main groups of Native Americans in Chile who originated from South part of American. The two groups are known to be part of the Latin Americans who had a unique genetic composition compared with other Americans. The Latino gene is known to be variant for type 2 diabetes and other cancer related problems. The variation is still found to exist in the group of people who branched from the Latin America like the Mapuche-Aymara groups. The lipid profile from the culture of the people has been associated with the health problems facing the people. The genetic complexions from the origin of the people indicate a problem with quickly responding to some type of medication due to the genetic formation. The migration of Latinos in America is said to have exposed them to an environment that was challenging to adapt in with others from Spain and Asia. The intermarriages between the Mapuche and Aymara saw the development of off springs that contained a certain gene deficiency. Skin pigment was one of the deficiencies that exposed the people to skin cancer.

Methods

The author used different methods to figure out the genetic disease patterns among them being genotyping and sequencing. The author collected data of the populations of the people and grouped it according to its genetic characteristics. Genotyping and sequencing allowed for the genetic structure characterization that helped in reflecting the immigration pattern and the distribution of the people in the region. Apart from that, the author also applied spatial ancestry analysis which shed light on the genetic patterns of the Chileans as well as their dispersion in the region. From the characterization, the author was able to calculate standard deviations from the populations in order to group, and classify the data. Admixture analysis was also incorporated to give an analysis of the ancestral populations. The figure below is a representation of the Genetic principal component analyses of individuals used in the aggregate-data study to investigate the relationship between the type of Native American ancestry and disease-specific mortality risks (panels A-D), and scatter plots of estimated Native American proportions using different reference individuals as surrogates of Native American ancestry: 9 Mapuche and 9 Aymara reference individuals versus samples from the Americans in the Human Genome Diversity Project, supervised ADMIXTURE analysis (panel E) and unsupervised ADMIXTURE analysis with four ancestral populations (panel F).

Contributions/ Broader Impacts

The research conducted on the Native Americans in Chile show a unique pattern of genes possessed by the person which are susceptible to different diseases. The way of the life of the people which include their culture also indicates the reasons for the development of the diseases. The research has elaborated on the major diseases facing the natives in Chile and therefore can help in developing a remedy to the problem. The research helps understanding the different backgrounds of people and how these adaptations shape the life of the people. For example, the Native Americans in Chile can be traced back to their roots in Latin America where they call their origin. Human history can be complex but the research helps in understanding why the people have adopted such behavior and reasons for a specific way of life.

Reference

Bermejo, J. L., Boekstegers, F., Silos, R. G., Marcelain, K., Benavides, P. B., Ponce, C. B., &

Peil, B. (2017). Subtypes of Native American ancestry and leading causes of death:

Mapuche ancestry-specific associations with gallbladder cancer risk in Chile. PLoS

genetics, 13(5), e1006756.